Army finally withdraws from Nation Media premises

What the report says

Military personnel have withdrawn from the premises of Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda, ending a more than month-long occupation of the company’s offices and broadcast sites, according to The Observer. The withdrawal was reported at NMG’s headquarters in Namuwongo and its studios at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre, where soldiers had remained even after the company was allowed to resume operations last week.

The Observer said staff at the Serena site confirmed the troops had left, and management informed employees in an internal message that the military had vacated the premises. The company also urged caution before staff returned fully, saying internal security checks were still under way. The report places the deployment’s start on June 28, when armed UPDF personnel sealed off the offices, cut electricity and halted TV and radio transmissions.

The standoff affected Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Dembe FM, temporarily sidelining journalists and support staff. The Observer said the closure followed directives from Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who publicly said the outlets were shut and would not reopen without his permission. He later accused the media house of activism and of backing opposition and foreign interests.

According to the report, the dispute was resolved through negotiations rather than a court process. Discussions reportedly involved NMG’s majority shareholder, Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi, President Yoweri Museveni and Gen. Muhoozi. NMG has since resumed limited digital operations, while print and full broadcast services had not yet fully restarted at the time of the report.